


Whatever happened to...

by NYWCgirl



Category: White Collar
Genre: Coping, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Loss
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-02
Updated: 2017-08-02
Packaged: 2018-12-10 04:51:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 656
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11684457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NYWCgirl/pseuds/NYWCgirl
Summary: We all saw the picture of little Neal with his dad´s police hat, but what happened to it?





	Whatever happened to...

**Author's Note:**

  * For [ladyrose42](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ladyrose42/gifts).



> This fic fills the ‘Loss of possessions’ square on my H/C Bingo card. This story is written for ladyrose42, who gave me the prompt for Neal losing his dad´s hat.

 

The moment Neal sees the picture of himself with his dad´s hat, he swallows against the lump in his throat. As if it happened yesterday Neal remembers the feeling of loss, he experienced when he realized his dad´s hat was gone.

 

_Flashback_

Neal is in math class, when there is a knock on the door. His teacher opens the door and steps out. She is talking to someone and when she enters the classroom she immediately looks over at Neal. This can´t be good.

‘Neal, can you please pack your stuff and report to the principal´s office?’

Neal frantically searches his mind, what they could have found out. But there is nothing he can think of, so he quickly packs his stuff and walks towards the principal´s office. He worries that maybe something happened with his mum, she has been a little depressed lately.

When he walks up to the office, there is a man talking to the principal and when Neal comes closer he recognizes him as Fred, one of the US Marshall that guards Ellen and his mum. Now he is really worried. Why would Fred be here if nothing happened, so something must have. He knocks one time and enters the office.

‘Fred, did something happened?’ Neal blurts out.

‘No Neal, your mum and Ellen are fine, but we need to leave. I informed your principal, so everything is in order. I will explain in the car.’

Neal just nods, he is still processing Fred´s words. His mum and Ellen are OK. They get in the car and Fred drives out of town. Neal is quiet in the car while Fred tries to explain why they are moving.

‘Mum and Ellen know we are moving?’ Neal asks a bit unsure.

Fred laughs, ’of course kid, I am not kidnapping you. Why don´t you grab yourself a sandwich and some soda. There should also be a note.’

Neal looks behind the seat and there is a cool box. On top of the sandwiches is a note from Ellen; Neal reads it carefully before tucking it away.

‘You want a sandwich?’

‘Yeah, can you hand me the one with the pastrami?’

Neal checks them and hands Fred the pastrami on rye and eats his own sandwich in silence, watching the landscape pass by.

They stop for a sanitary break at a gas station where Fred buys himself some coffee and an ice cream for Neal and they are on the road again.

Neal falls asleep somewhere during the ride because he wakes up when the car pulls up in a driveway. He gets out and while he walks up to the front door, it opens and his mum and Ellen welcome him.

 

* *  *

 

It isn´t until a couple of days later when a van unloads their personal belongings and they unpack, that Neal misses something. His dad´s police hat.

Neal goes through all the boxes and bags, but it isn´t there. Ellen helps him search, but his mum is strangely unhelpful. She helps, but quickly finds something more important to do. She tells him they must have misplaced it or lost it. Too bad, it is gone.

It takes Neal a bit longer to come to the same conclusion. The hat is not here. He asks Fred, but he explains that he wasn´t involved with the packing, nor was his colleague, it had been personnel from the moving company who had packed their belongings.

Neal is devastated as the hat was the only tangible memorabilia he had of his dad. And now it is gone, just like his dad.

 

_End of flashback_

                                                                        *  *  *               

 

Neal looks up from the picture. The loss is still raw, but it is nice to see that the little boy in the picture was happy. But it is hard to remember that he is that little boy and that he was happy.

 

 


End file.
